Microsoft is joining The Linux Foundation as a Platinum member

Microsoft has been going through a shift under Satya Nadella – a more open Microsoft, focusing on providing its services on the most popular ecosystems around; Microsoft has been releasing its apps on iOS and Android, while at the same time integrating Linux into Windows with the Linux Subsystem for Windows.

It’s quite incredible to witness this transformation; Microsoft’s Connect(); event has kicked off today – an event specifically for developers – and one of the first announcements is about joining The Linux Foundation. It just shows where Microsoft is putting its priorities at.

The Linux Foundation

Microsoft’s decision to join The Linux Foundation – particularly as a Platinum member – is not a light one; by joining The Linux Foundation, Microsoft is in the company of Fujitsu, Huawei, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Oracle, Qualcomm, NEC, and Samsung – each of these businesses, including Microsoft, is paying $500,000 per year to be a member.

Fun fact: The Linux Foundation – despite the $500,000 annual fee for membership – is a non-profit organization, with the mission of advancing open-source mass collaboration.

Microsoft’s contributions

Microsoft has also already been contributing to the various projects maintained by The Linux Foundation such as Node.js, OpenDaylight, Open Container, Open API, and R Consortium.

Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise Group, had this to say about this initiative:

“As a cloud platform company we aim to help developers achieve more using the platforms and languages they know. The Linux Foundation is home not only to Linux, but many of the community’s most innovative open source projects. We are excited to join The Linux Foundation and partner with the community to help developers capitalize on the shift to intelligent cloud and mobile experiences.”